NTS: HOME
cotland is. of course. one nation under
God. ()r two (kids if you live on the west
coast. But how can any nation really call itself a unified entity'.’ There can be little certainty of origin in Scotland. for as in most liuropean countries. its identity is built on a succession of invasions: Romans before the dark ages. Vikings in the middle ages. and those dreadful live an statue turns in the Festival. The vexed question of identity is one that the National Theatre of Scotland has been wrestling with for IS months. and at their initial foray into performance. Vicky Featherstone‘s national company has come up with a definition of home which incorporates place. but also many other definitions of our bit of shelter in the world.
The one thing Home. this brief calendar of
events representing a kind of housewarming party for the NTS. is not is a theatre building in any conventional sense. From abandoned tenements in Aberdeen to a doll‘s house on Lewis. and across to a ferry in Shetland. this nationwide succession of events might be subtitled ‘There‘s no space like Harm". Almost all of the projects incorporate some local participation. and each is aimed at a maximum accessibility for audiences. But the entertainment value is not without stop-aml-think moments. There‘s certainly some of this in John 'l‘iffany‘s spectacular entertainment in liasterhouse. Incorporating vast projection screens. which will be used in live action. Home (ilasgmr sees three abseilers lowering themselves from an l8 story tower block with cameras on their helmets.
recording live action in a succession of
apartments. telling a story with a contemporary and relevant edge. Tiffany takes up the story: ‘lt's rooted in this idea of surveillance — how many times we‘re caught on camera a day. and
22 THE LIST 16 Feb—2 Mar 2006
so on. The story has this character who‘s left the tower block and gone to London to be a computer games developer. and he's got
involved in hacking there. He emails his younger
brother all this stuff that his brother reckons he needs for his chemistry homework. MIS start intercepting these messages. So the story starts with the older brother rushing back from London. I’m interested in this idea of homes being invaded. It's my take on the home theme.’ 'l'iffany' alludes to ()peration Ratcatcher and
Operation 'l‘inkerbell. intelligence sweeps by our
security services to intercept our mail and our telecommunications. It might all sound a bit heavy. but 'l'iffany reassures me. 'We were very involved with the local commttnity in developing this. and the one thing they said again and again is that they didn't want the story to be a limits/rotting kind of thing. because the area is so often identified with that. Whenever there's a film or something made there. it's alvvay s about a problem. So this story is very uplifting. I want it to be Speilbergian in its accessibility] he says.
’et the civil liberties theme leads Us inexorably to the lidinburgh event. which vv as originally intended to be performed at the Scottish Parliament before nei'v'ous politicians had it shifted to the Queen‘s llall. Anthony Neilson. author of such acclaimed pieces as Stitching and The llbmler/iil lliirld ofl)i.v.vm'iu. is directing a production which presents an unmediated version of what a group of Scottish primary school children believes should occur at First Minister‘s Question Time. scripted by them and performed by actors.
The kids. conversation on a current civil liberties issue brings to mind a Mark Twain quote that seems very current: ‘lt is by the goodness of God that in our country we have
The National Theatre of Scotland launches this fortnight with a clutch of specially commissioned pieces. Steve Cramer talks to the three key directors of the Home programme plays, and finds many themes within the project.
those three unspeakany precious things: freedom of speech. freedom of conscience and the prudence never to practice either.‘ Neilson remarks on the one current event that's. perhaps understamlably. on the mind of the children. "They ‘ve raised the issue of the .‘vlttslim cartoon. It's actually the most specific issue they've raised. I guess because it's a cartoon. and that means something different to children. so I suppose they think it's a strange fuss being caused by a cartoon. It's very odd to them. ('ome to think (if it. it‘s very odd to me.' he says.
Aside from this. we can expect an evening of charming and at times unpredictable commentary. 'We‘re getting vvhat they're thinking. So far they seem to be very interested in smoking. surprisingly. and things like
bullying. They ‘re interested in public humiliation
that‘s a big fear. What you also get is a very surreal area. So far we‘ve got a picture of a first minister vvho's a fish with chips for hair. \‘l'e